The present invention relates generally to vehicles, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for controlling movement of a vehicle.
Conventional aircraft typically have hinged control surfaces (e.g., wing ailerons) to control movement of the aircraft during flight. Specifically, hinged control surfaces can be selectively rotated about a hinge to alter the aerodynamics of an aerodynamic surface of the aircraft (e.g., a wing) and thereby change the attitude of the aircraft. However, because of their rotation about the hinge, such control surfaces typically cause surface discontinuities at the hinge. Surface discontinuities on aerodynamic surfaces of the aircraft such as a wing can cause a degradation in the aerodynamic properties of the control surface and the wing as a whole. Moreover, hydraulic or pneumatic actuators and associated plumbing are frequently used to drive rotation of the control surfaces about the hinge, thereby increasing the complexity, weight, and cost of the control systems.